Buddha Vs. Shiva: Borobudur & Prambanan

Went Templelunkin’ today by visiting both the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Borobudur and Prambanan. It’s pretty much a 9th century Buddhist Temple vs. a 9th century Hindu Temple respectively, and while Borobudur gets all the attention in guidebooks, it was Prambanan captured my awe and much much more (how do you beat an open-air nighttime ballet under floodlit 9th century Hindu temples?). But judge for yourself by what we’ve seen today…

BOROBUDUR

We took a cab at 3:30am in the morning to catch this sunrise over Borobudur

Arriving at Prambanan at the nick of the time (we were the last guests before closing)

Prambanan at sunset

A pretty tall mountain at sunset by Prambanan

A pretty freaky picture

Floodlit Prambanan

The ballet gets a little hot

Prambanan just got served

You pick which you like better. My vote is for Prambanan. No offense, Buddha; Lord Shiva can be a badass.

While staying at “The Palace” a girl studying English named Etri, who was a neighbor and friends with the staff members (yes our residence has a “staff), stopped by with her sister to show us around Yogyakarta. She was a delight to have around and this was a great way for us to get to know a side of Yogyakarta from the eyes of a local:

I fight the hippo

More shopping

The royal baths

Ramayana Ballet

It’s been a nice last couple of nights in Yogyakarta, staying up late in a remote internet café about a 20 minute walk away from where we’re staying. Etri showed us this place, and she enjoys hanging out with us. I guess for her she has a rare opportunity to practice her English and get to know what Americans are like.

It’s cute how she cautiously asks if she can sit next to me and watch me blog; I’ve been informed how Islamic tradition here is a bit conservative about young girls sitting next to guys that aren’t their family members, let alone a random backpacker from New York City dropping in at their doorstep unannounced.